Reginaldo Alphonsey
'Reginaldo Alphonsey ' (born 1963) is an American journalist, media figure, and politician, currently serving as the Junior Senator for the State of California. Family Background Reginaldo Alphonsey's parents were both immigrants from Argentina, tracing their lineage back to Galicia, Lebanon, and Lombardy. His father, Salvador, came from a large landowning family in the Cafayete Valley. The valley's distinct Castellano Spanish is what bastardized Alphonse into Alphonsey. His mother, Marie, was the daughter of a prominent diplomat in Beunos Aires, coming from the Fares family. After meeting at the University of Buenos Aires, each became firm members of the urban intelligentsia, with openly socialist leanings. As Juan Perón rose to power in the 1940s, the couple left for Europe, after a friend was arrested for alleged state subversion. The Alphonseys spent four years in Milan, which was followed by one in Beirut and three in London. Alphonsey's father established himself as a wine wholesaler, though the couple still relied upon family money from Argentina for their lifestyle. In 1954, they were contacted by a family friend who had recently bought a vineyard in Napa County, and were looking to flip it. Alphonsey's mother balked at the idea of moving to the United States, but Alphonsey's father had grown increasingly jaded from the rootless lifestyle and desired to settle down and build a life. At threat of divorce, they bought the vineyard and moved to Yountville. As it was already operational, a growing taste in wine in the United States made the vineyard profitable in a matter of years, especially thanks to Salvador's past experience. Childhood and Early Life Reginaldo Alphonsey was born in 1963, four years after his brother Valentin. He excelled in school and theater, and became set on acting. His father and mother maintained a volatile relationship, which rubbed off negatively on Reginaldo. The constant undermining and mixed signals left him with a messed up values system and a messed up view of the family unit. Though despite this, he did enjoy life on the vineyard. He came to love the outdoors, cooking, and the idyllic California countryside. Valentin was the favorite, groomed to one day take over the family vineyard. After Reginaldo's father refused to pay for acting school, he went on to study journalism at Northwestern University. This was under the encouragement of his mother, who was a firm believer in free and open media, having suffered under the Perot junta. He then went on to earn a master's degree in Communications at UC Berkeley directly afterwards. Journalistic and Business Career Political Career Alphonsey's political involvement prior to 2016 was limited to voting, donations, and light volunteer work, with his involvement being mostly local. Outside of this, he did attend a few fundraisers and events for prominent members of the media. During the presidential election of 2000, he did raise funds privately for the Green Party candidate through a registered political action committee, the publicity of which was minimal. This is something Alphonsey still slightly regrets, due to the outcome of the election. Political Views Due to a desire for journalistic integrity, Alphonsey sought for most of his life to maintain the privacy of his political beliefs and involvement. He gained some notoriety on this. Despite this, it was always clear Alphonsey has been a life long social liberal, as this come through with the hallmark stories journalistic career. He has been a member of the Green Party from a young age, joining the American Progressive Party upon its creation by Ellen Walton. Due to this partisan alignment, Alphonsey did gain national notoriety, as he was one of the few newly elected Progressive politicians who were not formerly Democrats or Independents. Since becoming a political figure, Alphonsey has established himself clearly as a left wing progressive. He remains very liberal both socially and economically. He is in favor of universal healthcare, abortion rights, universal higher education, and subsidized family leave. With regards to foreign policy, Alphonsey has an anti-interventionist streak, being notably anti-war and holds mixed views on trade. He is greatly in favor of humanitarian aid. Alphonsey greatly supports term limits, campaign finance reform, and congressional ethics reform. Alphonsey is a proponent of post-partisan politics. To this end, he has supported the Republican-proposed carbon tax and has worked with members of all parties on legislation. Activist Jesse Jackson, historical figure George Norris, late Minnesota Senator Paul Bellrock, and Chairwoman of the American Progressive Party Ellen Walton have been described as some of Alphonsey's political inspirations. Personal Life Alphonsey's main residence is his family vineyard and lifelong home, Alphonsey Estates, where he lives along with his brother, Valentin Alphonsey. Despite being a life long bachelor, Alphonsey has one illegitimate son from whom he is estranged. This relationship is not publicly known. His hobbies include cooking, cycling, and other activities. It is clear that Alphonsey maintains an upper middle class lifestyle, though his net worth is not public. It is known, however, that most of his wealth is tied up in the family business.